Seek Forbidden Things
by Maeve of Winter
Summary: Kevin has gone missing from Riverdale, and it's up to the rest of the gang to find him. Friendship fic, Betty/Jughead, Kevin/Joaquin, and Cheryl/Veronica.
1. Chapter 1

With a sigh of relief, Jughead pulled the last tarp off of the couch and stood back to survey the room proudly. It had been hard work, sure, but with the walls freshly painted, the small house his father had bought looked a thousand times brighter and more inviting.

Folding up the canvas, Jughead shook his head in disbelief. It was amazing to consider he'd completed this task in less than a week's time, but he and—

Jughead paused, frowning. He'd been about to think that someone else had stepped in and been a huge contribution in helping him fix up the house, but it had just been him. His dad helped out sometimes, but work prevented him from being able to give that much of an effort.

Still, it nagged at Jughead as he surveyed the room. He really didn't think he had painted the entire home on his own, but apparently he had.

* * *

Running his hand through his russet red hair, Archie winced as he contemplated the red marks dotting his English paper. True, he could have made more of an effort, but between football season and practice with Josie, he'd felt proud of himself for completing the assignment at all when he'd handed it in. And with Betty devoting more and more time to the River Vixens, Jughead preoccupied with fixing his new house, and—

Huh. Archie had been thinking there was a third person in their group who usually helped him with his papers, and, like Betty and Jughead, had been doing so for years. But Veronica was still too recent of an addition to their group for Archie to feel comfortable going to help for with his schoolwork.

And yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was a third person who regularly tutored him. But there wasn't. He was certain it was only Betty and Jughead.

Weird. He shook his head, setting his paper aside. It must just have been the stress of his busy schedule getting to him.

* * *

The first time Betty sensed something was wrong was when she was at school, enjoying a lunch outside with her friends and boyfriend. It was perfect late September weather, sunny but with a slight breeze, and all of them were laughing, though when she looked back, Betty wouldn't be able to remember the joke.

And just as contentment was settling over her, as she sat holding her boyfriend's hand and smiled as him and her two best friends, her happiness vanished, replaced by an strange chafing, a notion that simply just wouldn't leave her alone. Something was missing . Something was wrong .

Accustomed to studying individuals and their reactions, Jughead noticed her disquiet and asked her about it when the bell rang to signal their return to class.

"You okay?" He kept his voice low, and Archie and Veronica, conversing amongst themselves, didn't notice the question.

"Fine." Betty tried to give him a smile, but couldn't ignore the feeling that she was forgetting something terribly important.

* * *

But the first time Betty actually realized something was wrong was when she was out at Sweetwater River later the next week, gathering water samples for a biology project.

She was stooping down on the sandy bank of the river, dipping the vials in just enough to catch the water, trying to avoid getting her hands wet. While it was only the beginning of October, the evenings were becoming chilly, and there was already a strong wind blowing, rustling the leaves and bringing a few to drift down from their branches.

Another gust of wind was starting when she first heard the call.

 _Betty._

For a moment, she wasn't sure she heard correctly, and she sat back on her heels, looking around. No one else was in sight, and though she waited for several moments for someone to appear from the cluster of trees around her, there was no sign anyone else was there.

Puzzled, Betty frowned, listening intently. Had it just been the breeze rattling through the trees? The burble of the river? She could have sworn someone was calling her name.

Shrugging, she returned to capping her water samples. Must have been her imagination.

 _ **Betty.**_

Glancing up sharply from her work, she tried to determine where the voice was coming from. She swept her gaze around the riverbank, and for a heart-stopping moment, she was positive she saw a figure standing on the opposite side of the river, on the Greendale shore, its gaze fixed on her.

The blood in her veins turned to ice and her mouth went dry as she realized she was being watched, and adrenaline began coursing through her as she tried to determine her next move.

But by the time she blinked, the figure was gone.

It was her imagination, Betty tried to tell herself. No one was watching her. In the lengthening shadows of fall evening, her eyes were playing tricks on her.

But she still hastily packed her materials into her backpack, hands trembling all the while. She hurried away from the river, glancing over her shoulder until she reached the car she shared with Polly and drove home.

* * *

That night Betty dreamed of two strangers.

In her dream, she was sitting on a picnic blanket with someone she did not know, but seemed familiar to her all the same. She was comfortable with this person and she laughed with them as they sat together on a picnic blanket on the lush grass of a sunny field. The sun's warmth felt wonderful on her face and back.

Two more people approached them, descending winding stone stairs that were heavily shadowed by a line of trees. One of them was Jughead, and the other was another person she didn't recognize, but still was happy to see. She waved, welcoming them, and as they joined them on the picnic blanket, she felt full of happiness and contentment.

She awoke with the last remnants of the dream fresh in her mind and lay awake for a time, trying to puzzle out the meaning. Who were those people? Why did she think she knew them?

The questions and images left her thoroughly disoriented the next morning as she stumbled around trying to prepare for school but only causing chaos. She spilled orange juice all over her outfit and had to run upstairs to change, missing breakfast, and just as she and Polly were about to head out the door, she remembered the stack of library books from her history report that were due back at school that very day.

"I'll be right out!" She promised Polly, dashing back inside the house to the bemusement of their parents, who were still lingering over coffee. "Go and start the car."

Polly groaned in frustration. "I swear, Betty, if you're not in the car in thirty seconds, I'm driving to school without you!"

But it was an empty threat, and they all knew it: Polly would never bail on her; they were sisters and best friends and thoroughly loyal to each other.

Betty grabbed the pile of books from her desk with only the most cursory glance and flew back to car, collapsing into the passenger seat. During the drive she took the time to sort through the stack, determining which books went back to the school and which ones belonged to the public library. She was flummoxed, though, to come across a book that didn't appear to belong to either one, and checking the inside cover, found only a partially distinguishable name. The ink from the marker had blurred, rendering the first name an illegible smear, but the last name was clear as day: Keller.

Blinking, Betty tried to determine where the book had come from. She took a moment to flip through the pages of the book, which was titled Chancellorsville and denoted as the fourth book of The Civil War Battle Series. With notes in its margins and dog ears on certain pages that she absolutely did not leave, it was clear that whoever the book belonged to was an avid history enthusiast.

And yet, the only Keller Betty knew was Sheriff Keller. At no point he had lent a book to her, she was sure of it—she really didn't know him all that well, and besides, they didn't frequent the same circles given their differences in age.

Still, if it was his book, then she had to return it to him.

Stuffing the book in her backpack, Betty decided she would stop by the sheriff's station after cheerleading practice, before she went to Pop's for her date with Jughead.


	2. Chapter 2

Betty accidentally bumped into a guy on the stairs of the sheriff's station—he was exiting as she was entering. Neither one of them was paying as much attention as they should have been, bringing them to knock into each other.

"I'm so sorry," Betty hurried to apologize, but the guy didn't seem overly bothered.

"S'all right," he said, running one hand through his dark hair and using the other to fiddle with a silver charm he wore on a chain around his neck. "Don't worry about it."

As he spoke, some inexplicable aspect of his face, or maybe his voice, nagged at Betty. He seemed familiar, but she was certain she'd never seen him before. And his blue eyes gave no indication he had recognized her.

Even so, she opened her mouth to speak, but he was already moving past her, and she could see he was wearing a Southside Serpents jacket. A strange sense of deja vu enveloped her, and she couldn't put aside the feeling that she has once stood and watched the same man walk away while worry twisted in her stomach. Except in her vague recollection, she thought she had stood beside someone and worried for both this man and that other person. But Betty still couldn't place either one. Both were utter blanks to her, but she had that strange niggling feeling she should have known who they were.

Trying to make sense of it all, Betty extracted the Civil War book from her backpack and after a quick exchange with the receptionist, received permission to see the sheriff in his office. Knocking gently on the door, an answering call of "Come in," led her to enter the room.

The sheriff's office was a large wood-paneled room with various certificates decorating the walls and filing cabinets lining the perimeter. Though the working nature of the office was evident, with various paperwork organizers present on the desk and the nearby worktable, there was also a strong sense of order throughout the surroundings, guided by strength and willpower.

Sheriff Keller was tall and broad-shouldered, with ruggedly handsome features and light brown that was just tinged with the slightest amount gray at the temples. He gave her a smile as she walked inside.

"Hello, Betty," he greeted her. "How are you doing today?"

Not quite certain as to how describe the situation, Betty decided to keep her explanation as brief as possible without attempting to reach any conclusion.

"Okay, thanks. And, um, somehow I came to have one of your books," she said with a shrug. "And I thought I should bring it back."

She lifted the book to hand it to him across the desk, and Sheriff Keller reached for it, but upon spotting the title, gave a double take and blanched back. However, as Betty was already prepared to pass the book off into his waiting hand, she fumbled and wound up dropping it down onto the desk, sending off a framed photo careening off of the edge in the process.

"I'm so sorry!" Betty exclaimed, immediately kneeling down to retrieve the photo. Quickly checking the glass, she let out a sigh of relief when she found it intact, and rose to hand it back to the sheriff.

But the second before she was about to give it to him, she noticed the actual content of the photo. It seemed like a photo of a hunting trip, showing the sheriff and an oddly familiar teenage boy standing with rifles aloft, smiling at the camera. It could have been a picture of father and son—except the sheriff had no family that she knew of.

With a jolt, Betty recognized the boy: he'd been the one sitting on the picnic blanket beside her in her dream. The one she'd thought she'd known.

Her pulse racing, Betty realized she hadn't only seen him in her dream. The figure on the Greendale side of the river had been this boy. She was sure of it.

She looked up at Sheriff Keller to ask him about the boy's identity, but he was watching her with an unreadable expression. Without preamble, he reached over and plucked the frame from her hands.

"Thank you for returning the book to me," he said, his tone perfectly civil but not particularly friendly. He opened a desk drawer and stuck the photo inside before shutting it. "I don't mean to be rude, but I've got to get back to work about now. Say hello to your family for me."

Though Betty tried to keep calm, her hands began shaking—so much was happening so fast, and she really didn't understand any of it.

"Sure," she managed, backing away while trying to look like she wasn't. "I, um, well—have a nice day, Sheriff Keller."

She hastened to the door, feeling the sheriff's eyes boring into her back as she did.

It was only as she exited the sheriff's station and reached the same spot where she'd crashed into the guy earlier that it occurred to her where she'd seen him .

He had been the fourth person in her dream, the dark-haired stranger. Jughead, this guy, the boy from the sheriff's photograph, and herself—they'd all been in the dream together. And she'd heard the boy from the photograph calling to her by the river.

But what did all of that mean? Thoughts and questions swirled around Betty's head like fallen leaves stirred by the wind, and she all but sprinted to meet Jughead at Pop's.

* * *

"Sheriff Keller is hiding something," Betty told Jughead lowly.

Across the booth, Jughead swallowed his last bite of hot fudge sundae. "Are he and Mayor McCoy having an affair?" he asked knowingly. "I think I've seen them sending each other longing looks during town ceremonies."

"It's a bit more sinister than that." Betty took a deep breath. "Juggie, this is going to sound crazy, but please just listen to me. The other night when I was at Sweetwater River, I thought I saw someone watching me from the other side of the water."

Jughead frowned. "That's creepy. Who was it?"

"They vanished before I got a good look," Betty explained. "I thought I might have imagined it, but then I saw this photo that the sheriff had in his office where he's standing with a kid about our age. It looked like a family photo, but the Sheriff doesn't have any children."

"Maybe the kid was his nephew or something," Jughead suggested.

"Could be, I guess." Betty hesitated. "But the kid in the photo was the same guy I saw watching me at the river. I just know it. And I had a dream about him, you, and this other guy—"

"Whoa," Jughead breathed, staring at her, his eyes wide.

Betty scoffed. "Not like that. We were having a picnic together, and I just felt really . . . safe and comfortable with the guy from the photo. And the other guy in my dream—I saw him at the sheriff's station, too. He's a member of the Southside Serpents. It's like I knew both of the two of them, but forgot them somehow."

"So, you think this is deeper than the sheriff just having a secret love child?" Jughead pondered. "Because I'd always wondered about him and Mrs. Blossom, too. Plus he's pretty good-looking for a guy his age . . ."

"I think we should call in Sabrina," Betty said firmly. "She can tell us if there's something weird going on. Or if," she said with a slight grin at her boyfriend, trying to lighten the mood, "the sheriff is just running around and having affairs all over town."


	3. Chapter 3

But when they went to visit Sabrina in Greendale to explain the situation, she couldn't give them the answers they sought.

"It's not that I don't want to help you," Sabrina said with a helpless shrug. "It's just that this subject is verboten. I can't discuss this type of spell with mortals."

"Yeah, it's the rules of the Witches Council," Salem contributed from where he was sunning himself on Sabrina's window seat.

"So it's definitely a magic thing, then," Jughead mused.

The wheels in Betty's mind whirred, searching for a loophole, and a victorious smile tugged at her lips as she found one. "You can't discuss this specific situation, but could you discuss hypotheticals? Say there was a situation like this one, but not this one in particular. Could you tell us what's going on?"

"It's all on how you phrase the question. But I'll try to help," Sabrina said with a grin.

"Okay. Say I just so happen to be seeing visions of this kid who I don't know but I think I do, and this same kid turned up in the photo of someone I do know. What does that mean?" Betty asked.

"Sounds to me like someone used magic to mess with you memory," Sabrina told her. "For whatever reason, they wanted you to forget this person."

"Hmm." Jughead rubbed his chin in thought. "So what does it mean if one person can't remember someone they should, but another person can?"

"Could mean a couple of things. Either you two were intended targets of this forgetfulness spell, or the person who can remember is the one who cast it in the first place," Sabrina informed her.

"But why I am starting to remember?" Betty frowned in confusion. "Does that mean the spell is fading?"

"No specifics," Salem told her.

Betty quickly revised her question. "What could cause someone to start remembering after they'd been hit with a forgetfulness spell? If they were the intended target?"

"Well, my first thought would be that the spell caster wasn't all that great with magic in the first place. But that seems too obvious." Sabrina looked at Betty and then Jughead. "Have you noticed any other holes in your memory? Have either of you had any time gone missing, or suddenly can't remember who you were with last week? Anything like that?"

Jughead shook his head. "Nothing major. Just sometimes a weird feeling that . . ." he struggled for a moment. "Like something is missing, but I can't quite name it," he finished.

Excitement began pumping through Betty's veins as she realized the two other incidents that fit in with memory gaps.

"Two things," she said, and then quickly explained the dark-haired Serpent from her dream that she'd later seen at the police station, and the Civil War book that had led her to the station in the first place.

Sabrina absorbed it all with a puzzled expression. "That doesn't sound to me like an unskilled magic user—if it had been, you might have been able to find the name in the book. Hypothetically," she added hastily. "And, in this hypothetical scenario, you also should have realized who this other guy was, but unable to remember how you know him. Being unable to know two separate people seems like an awfully thorough memory wipe. But it also doesn't sound to me like you two were specific targets. If the spell was cast from a powerful user, the target wouldn't be able to recognize that something was wrong, nor would it ever occur to them that a stranger would look familiar. The magic would just censor those thoughts," she explained. "In this type of scenario, it strikes me that there are two forces at work here. One magic user casting spells to make you forget, and another magic user fighting to make you remember."

"Which leaves us with Sheriff Keller involved, either one way or the other," Jughead concluded. He turned to Sabrina. "Hypothetically, why would you want another person entirely forgotten? What's to gain?"

Sabrina hesitated. "It's not about gain, really," she said, her tone suddenly becoming subdued."To remove almost all memory that someone ever existed—that's about creating loss."

* * *

Without wasting any time time, Betty and Jughead relayed the entire situation to Archie and Veronica over burgers and shakes at Pop's. The two of them, who were already familiar with Sabrina and her abilities, listened attentively as all the information was explained.

"You know, it's really weird," Archie mused. "Because I've been getting that sense, too, sometimes. It's like there's someone I'm forgetting, but I can't remember who."

"It's the work of magic," Jughead confirmed, dipping a fry into ketchup. "And it looks like Sheriff Keller is our main suspect."

"Well, then there's only one option," Veronica said determinedly, pushing up the sleeves of her vintage-style dress. "We have to go to his house and see if he's got any more evidence of this kid. If we're going to put this puzzle together, we need to get all of the pieces first."

"We can't just waltz right into someone's house!" Archie protested. "Especially not someone who could very easily throw us all in jail. We need to be more careful than that."

"You're right," Betty mused, trying to concentrate. "We need to plan carefully if we're really going to break in."

" 'Break in'?" A new voice asked excitedly.

They all jumped as Cheryl Blossom popped up from the booth behind them, left her seat there, and, despite not being invited, squeezed on the booth bench beside Archie and Veronica. Betty couldn't help but notice she leaned in much closer to Veronica than strictly necessary.

"I want to help," Cheryl declared.

"Just what we need," Jughead muttered.

"You can't," Veronica told her firmly. "This doesn't involve you."

Betty noticed a distinct edge in her voice that Veronica was usually too controlled to let through. She wasn't too surprised to hear it, though: Veronica had once confided in her that she was attracted to Cheryl, and that the other girl seemed to reciprocate. But ultimately, Veronica was too put off by her constant antagonism and contrarian attitude to consider making a move. Betty understood: Cheryl's unpredictable hot-and-cold nature was enough to throw off even the deepest devotion.

"Then I'll tell Sheriff Keller I heard you planning to burglarize his house," Cheryl threatened. "I've known him all my life. Do you really think he'll believe you over me?"

"Yes. Because if he's known you that long, then he knows what a manipulative liar you are," Veronica replied impatiently.

Cheryl flipped back her long red hair. "Fine. But don't come crying to me when the sheriff shoots you full of lead for trespassing on his property. You know just as well as I do that the man's always been very protective of his family."

Her final statement left the entire group, even herself, sitting in silence for a moment as they processed the words. At the same time, all of them came to the same realization: Sheriff Keller didn't have a family. At least, none that they remembered.

"Is about some magic thing?" Cheryl asked lowly. She also knew about the Spellmans and their abilities after once becoming inadvertently involved with a spell.

"Yeah." Archie sighed. "All right, I can see the need now. We can break in to find out about this kid. I'll take the riskiest job."

As it happened, he did not. Jughead's plan put him in the sheriff's station, monitoring Sheriff Keller so he could notify the others if he left.

"If anyone asks what you're doing there, make up some stuff about wanting to check for permits so you and Josie can have joint concerts in the park, or something," Jughead told him. "I'll be hanging out nearby the street corner where Sheriff Keller has to turn in order to reach his house. There's a hill, so I'll have a perfect view but still be hard for him to notice. The girls will go to the house and pretend they're fundraising for some cheerleading thing."

Cheryl sniffed. "As if we would ever need to."

"Veronica can wait outside on the porch, and Betty and Cheryl can go inside," Jughead continued. "Veronica and Archie, the three of us are the lookouts. We need to text the others immediately if we see the sheriff on the move."

"I still think I should be the one to go into the house," Archie argued. "Anyone else might get into trouble, but I can lie and say that it's a football hazing or something, and he might go easy on me."

"There's no time to rearrange our plan. We've got to move fast if we want to find what we're looking for," Jughead reminded him. "Besides, if there's anyone rude and arrogant enough to stroll completely uninvited into someone's house when they're not there, it's Cheryl."

Cheryl scowled at him. "At least I automatically raise the property value of whatever house I'm in by my sheer presence. Unlike your trailer trash self, which instead of brings it into the negatives."

Jughead ignored her. "Everybody know their positions?"

They all nodded.

He took a deep breath. "Okay, then let's go."


	4. Chapter 4

Sheriff Keller's home was a large and impressive stone Tudor, set back from the road with a long driveway lined with towering, moss-covered trees. The lawn was almost picture-perfect, well-kept and manicured with the requisite decorations and accessories that made it look like the ideal real estate advertisement. The only discrepancy was the elaborate front garden with a variety of plants and shrubs. Now that it was October, the colorful blooms had faded, climbing vines were sagging on their trellises, and the flowers were turning brown and rotting. Everything appeared to be in some stage of decay; even the numerous stone statues were weathering. With the sky overcast and not a trace of sunlight peeking through the dim gray clouds, Betty couldn't prevent a feeling of foreboding from ebbing through her as she gazed at the imposing house as the three of them exited Cheryl's Impala convertible.

Their phones buzzed almost in unison: a confirmation text from Archie that Sheriff Keller was at the station.

"Remember our cover story. We're here because we're fundraising for cheerleading. Cheryl went ahead into the house because she has a key, for whatever reason." Veronica tossed Cheryl a dubious glance "Betty, you went with Cheryl to stop any further invasions of privacy, and I stayed out here because I have manners."

"Manners are for people who can't afford to speak their minds, which certainly applies to the status of your family these days, doesn't it?" Cheryl mounted the slate steps to the lakehouse-style porch, her stilettos clicking as she sashayed past the twin lions statues that guarded either side of the front door. "Besides, if I had such good manners, I'd never had stolen this key, and then you'd have no way inside today. Isn't that right?" She sent a smug smile in their direction, twisted the key into the lock, and, pushing open the door, vanished into the house.

Betty sighed. "You ever think it's strange that she acts like she never wants to spend time with any of us, yet is always somehow hanging out with us anyway?"

"Maybe she's just lonely," Veronica suggested. "Or maybe she just loves to get under our skin by being a contrarian. Either way, make sure to keep an eye on her."

Betty nodded. Summoning all of her courage, she tried to push away the fluttering sensation in her stomach as adrenaline began pumping through her veins, and followed Cheryl through the door.

She passed through a brief entrance hall that was all polished hardwood and beveled windows, and then found herself in a foyer with exposed stone walls, timber beams, and a wagon wheel chandelier of hanging copper lanterns. The decor reminded her of a forest cabin, and even though she was certain she had never set foot in the house before, the sight sent a warm rush of familiarity through her. Betty couldn't ignore the notion that she'd been there often, and that she'd felt welcome.

Unnerved by the warring doubts, Betty folded her arms over her chest protectively and walked further into the house. The other rooms she saw were decorated much the same, and like the foyer, they inspired a safe and cozy feeling to bloom in her chest, but she wasn't sure why.

She found Cheryl in the kitchen, sitting on the marble counter with her legs crossed, her miniskirt riding up her bare thighs. She was surveying her surroundings critically as she sipped from a bottle of iced tea no doubt filched from the fridge.

"This is what happens when rednecks try to have class," Cheryl said disapprovingly, gesturing toward the breakfast nook. "If you're going to include such big windows that it looks like an atrium, you have to go with finished wood for the accents, not unfinished. What's with this 'rustic'-style decor? It doesn't look chic, it just looks shabby and trashy."

"Well, if Sheriff Keller shows up and catches us, maybe you can distract him by insulting his home," Betty retorted.

Looking past Cheryl, she spotted a family room with several framed photos atop the vast stone fireplace. Making her way into the room, she strode across the burnished pine floor to examine them, and Cheryl dismounted the counter to trail after her.

Each one featured the boy she'd seen in her dream, the boy from the other photo. Some depicted him with Sheriff Keller, some without. Some had him at the age Betty had seen him, and some had him younger.

Betty lifted up one in an elaborately etched metal frame. The picture had Sheriff Keller and the boy, maybe around twelve or thirteen, standing at the top of a mountain, with a blue sky and rolling hills behind them. Both looked happy, and certainly neither looked like they were secretly plotting against the other.

"You know," Cheryl said idly, plucking the photo from Betty's grasp. "If Sheriff Keller had any children, I'd say this kid was his son."

"But he doesn't have any children," Betty reminded her, even as uncertainty crept into her mind. She couldn't deny the logic behind Cheryl's statement, but it didn't make any sense given what she knew.

Scanning the room, her eyes landed on a bookshelf, and she spotted the series of Civil War books, including the one she'd found in her possession previously. Determined, she rushed to the shelf and grabbed that book and the preceding one off the shelf. The fourth one still had the illegible first name, but the third one had both names written in neat, careful handwriting: Kevin Keller .

"Kevin," Betty breathed, excitement coursing through her as she found the answer she'd been searching for. The name left her tongue easily, and just felt right to use to reference the boy she thought she knew.

She turned to Cheryl. "I think this boy in the photo is Kevin Keller. And that ypu weren't wrong: he is the sheriff's son!"

"Was," a deep male voice cut in.

The two of them whirled to find Sheriff Keller standing in the doorway. A knot of dread tightened in Betty's stomach at the sight.

"Wh—what?" She stammered out, her heart racing. Why hadn't any of the other three let them know he was coming?

The sheriff sighed heavily. "That boy was Kevin Keller. He was my son. He's dead now."

Betty couldn't speak; her head was spinning too quickly to form words.

Cheryl had no such problem. "Dead? Did you kill him?" she asked, obviously intrigued.

Anger and grief warred across Sheriff Keller's face. "No." He took a deep breath. "But we should sit down. I need to explain."

Instantly, Betty was suspicious. "I don't know," she hedged, fixing her gaze on the doorway, wondering how difficult it would be to fight their way out.

"Call whoever you need to call, and invite them as well," Sheriff Keller said, turning and walking toward the kitchen. "But I need to clarify this matter before any of you get any more farfetched ideas."

Cheryl followed him with no hesitation. "What are the chances on getting a refill of the iced tea?"

Fifteen minutes later, the five of them were sitting in Sheriff Keller's living room with the man himself. Cheryl was looking disdainfully around at the decor, and the other four were watching the sheriff with rapt attention.

"I'm not sure how much you know about what went on," Sheriff Keller began. "Or how you know about it—"

"A friend told us," Jughead interrupted. "Someone who knows about this stuff."

Sheriff Keller raised an eyebrow. "Would that 'someone' be Sabrina?"

"You know her?" Betty gasped. There was seemingly no end to surprises where the Kellers were concerned.

"She and Kevin were close when he was alive." Something in Sheriff Keller's eyes shuttered as he mentioned his son's name. "Kevin had similar abilities to her."

"He was a witch, too?" Archie asked, blinking. "And if you know Sabrina, does that mean you're one?"

"He was," Sheriff Keller confirmed. "But I'm not a witch, at least, not of the Council's kind, anyway. I have magic—that's why I could sense the moment you two walked into my home, and why I could get here with no one noticing I ever left the station. But even while existing outside of the Witches Council, I do, however, have a duty assigned to me by them. You know who the Council is?"

"Sure," Jughead said, shrugging. "They're the governing body of the Magic Realm. Sabrina says they enforce magical law."

Sheriff Keller nodded. "I guard the mortals against supernatural threats and prevent them from learning too much about the magical world. I've been doing so for the past two centuries. And Kevin, well, he took after me, even though there were different plans in store for him."

" 'Different plans'?" Veronica echoed.

"They're not important now," Sheriff Kevin replied, rubbing his forehead. "Kevin tried to fight off a threat—a rogue warlock by the name of Samuel Stanger who was a sworn enemy of the Witches Council. He was intent on harvesting the souls of Riverdale's citizens for bargaining power with other dark magic users. Kevin managed to bring him down, but he fell alongside him." The sheriff let out a deep exhale. "The moment before Stanger died, he hit Kevin with a powerful curse, one that would not only kill him, but wipe Kevin away from the memories of all who lived in Riverdale. No one would be able to remember him. No evidence that he had ever existed would survive." A bitter smile twisted Sheriff Keller's lips. "No one would know enough to mourn him."

"But you remember Kevin," Jughead pointed out. "You have photos of him. And we're beginning to remember him, too. And Sabrina knew about him, but she couldn't tell us."

"Mental magic is incredibly intricate because of the processes and patterns of the brain it needs to change," Sheriff Keller explained. "Not only that, but few people think the same way, so magic that focuses on the mind needs to be shaped to each individual person, or else the spell won't be effective. And then there's memory itself. It's powerful due to the sheer amount of emotions attached. It shapes reactions and opinions for years to come. To be able to revise hundreds of individuals' memories to the extent of completely removing all traces of a person someone knew, a person close to some of them, is next to impossible. Stanger didn't have the amount of ability required to do it, which is why you might have phantom images or thoughts of Kevin without actually knowing who he is."

"Because of the effort need for mental magic, other magic users can take measures to prevent anyone from bewitching their minds or changing their thoughts," Sheriff Keller went on. "Kevin and I safeguarded ourselves and our home from the likes of Stanger, giving ourselves a place that would always remain unaffected by anyone else's magic. Sabrina and her family have done the same. So while the rest of the world has forgotten Kevin, I remember him. As does Sabrina and—" he seemed to rethink the rest of his sentence before continuing. "The rest of the magical community," he finished.

"It's more than just having out of place memories of Kevin," Betty said, looking at the sheriff directly. "I saw him on the Greendale side of Sweetwater River when I was out there the other night. Just for a moment, but he was there. I think . . . I think he's still alive somehow."

Sheriff Keller stilled, his posture going rigid, and reached up to grip a silver charm he was wearing around his neck. "Oh?"

"Yeah." Betty swallowed, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans. "Sheriff Keller, here's what's been happening. I found one of Kevin's books in my room—that's the one I gave back to you. And I dreamed about Kevin the other night. I think it was a memory. Sabrina said that these signs could be from one magic user trying to make me forget about him and another trying to get me to remember. I think Stanger was the first, and that Kevin is the second."

For a long moment, Sheriff Keller gazed at her in silence, and Betty could read the emotions flitting across his face. Hope. Longing. Despair. Resignation.

"I want to believe what you're saying," he responded at last. "But any attempt of investigating this matter with my magic bears a risk of bringing Stanger's magic to resurge and harm those who were already affected, including all of you. I can't put all of Riverdale in danger just on a wild hope."

"A wild hope for your son's life, though," Jughead argued.

Sheriff Keller sent him a quelling look. "Do not presume to lecture me about my loss," he snapped, but he quickly regained control of himself, and his voice softened. "There's nothing I can do myself. However, I can get you an audience with someone who will hear your case and decide what's best. But," he warned them, "only one of you can go to the meeting."

"I'll do it," Archie volunteered. "If it's dangerous, I'm the one who's most capable."

Veronica shook her head. "It should be me. I'm good at negotiating, or tricking people, if it comes to that."

"I want to do it," Cheryl declared.

"No, you don't," Jughead snapped in disgust. "You just want to go so that one of us can't. You're just being a jackass for the hell of it."

"It should be me," Betty said firmly. She turned to Sheriff Keller. "I talked to Archie and Jughead, to see if they also thought someone was gone from their lives, someone important, but someone they couldn't name. They both said yes, but neither of them had the same signs as I did. The reason I'm being affected more than them is because Kevin and I were close, isn't it?"

"You were best friends," Sheriff Keller said tiredly. "You two grew up alongside each other and knew each other better than anyone else."

"Then it should be me who has the meeting," Betty stated resolutely, looking at the others. "Kevin's been reaching out to me the most, so I need to be the one to get him back."

"Very well." While Sheriff Keller's expression was weary, Betty thought she could detect a faint glimmer of hope. "I'll make the arrangements."

What did I just get myself into? Betty wondered briefly, but then she dismissed her doubts. Kevin Keller was her best friend, and he needed her help. She was going to help him no matter what the risk was to herself.


	5. Chapter 5

The end of the school day and then River Vixens practice couldn't come quickly enough. Betty spent the entire time brimming with nervous anticipation. But finally, she, Veronica, and Cheryl had changed into fresh clothes and joined the boys, who were waiting by Cheryl's Impala.

"Are you ready for this?" Jughead asked Betty during the ride over.

"I don't know," Betty admitted lowly. "But Kevin was my best friend, and I owe it to him to help."

Cheryl pulled the car into the parking lot of the church that stood on the edge of Eversgreen Forest, and Betty tired to collect herself. She wasn't entirely certain of what she was getting into, but she also knew she had to go through with it anyway.

"We'll be right here," Veronica reassured her.

"Text us the minute you need anything," Archie told her.

"You can do it," Jughead encouraged her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't keep me too long. Unlike the rest of you freaks, I've got a social life." Cheryl didn't bother looking at Betty as she spoke, instead concentrating on reapplying her lipstick in the rearview mirror.

"Noted," Betty said to her. She turned to the others. "I'll be in touch. If anything weird happens, I'll let you know."

The chapel was completely empty when she entered, without a soul either on the altar or in the pews. Though the overhead lights were off, the building was somewhat illuminated by the autumn sunlight that streamed through the many arched stained glass windows, creating pools of of colored light on the wooden floor.

"The quiet is quite soothing, isn't it?" a soft voice suddenly asked. "While I do enjoy conversation, I find a bit of solitude now and again can be good for the soul."

Betty jumped and whirled around to find that she wasn't as alone as she had initially thought. She opened her mouth to reply, but was stunned into speechlessness at the sheer beauty of the other person who was now sitting the the front pew.

It was a woman whose skin was the same shade of blue as cornflowers and oddly familiar eyes were the same vivid green as summer grass. A golden circlet of intricate detail rested along her temples, the exquisite wirework framing numerous sparkling blue gems. Similar golden charms and fine chains were woven into her long, sleek curtain of sapphire-colored hair that seemed to have an iridescent quality, with the light catching and gleaming in subtle shades of pink, violet, and paler blue. Her pointed ears were also decorated with golden jewelry: fine rings from tip to lobe, matching those she wore on her fingers and toes.

Her clothing was made from flowing violet silk detailed with golden embroidery, consisting of a midriff shirt with billowing sleeves and a long skirt open up to the thigh on either side of the front to allow for more freedom of movement. The garments complimented her willowy and graceful figure and also revealed swirling tattoos of deeper blue scrolling across her skin. Her fingernails were lacquered with a shimmering violet opalescence, and the delicate golden sandals that laced to her knees showed that her toes bore the same decoration.

Regal bearing was evident in her posture, but her eyes were kind, gentle. Though Betty had been startled, once she was looking at the woman, she was enveloped by a sense of tranquility and peace. Betty couldn't have guessed her age—the woman wasn't old or young, just lovely beyond description in a way she had never seen before. Without a doubt, she was the single most beautiful person Betty had ever laid eyes on.

"Please." The woman patted the bench, her voice soothing and melodious, like the cool water of a clear creek flowing over the rocks. "Sit with me, won't you?"

Staring openly, Betty complied, unable to stop gaping. She knew she was being rude, but she couldn't help but be utterly enthralled by the woman's unearthly beauty.

"Thomas Keller told me you have news of my son," the woman said, a desperate hope appearing in her eyes as she looked at Betty. "He said you believe he's still alive."

Shock coursed through Betty at her words. "Your son? Are you Kevin's—"

"Forgive my lack of manners. I have been quite distressed as of late, but I should have introduced myself." The woman readily gazed at Betty. "I am Queen Seles, ruler of the Magic Realm and leader of the Witches Council."

It made sense; Queen Seles's eyes looked very much like Kevin's, but Betty was still surprised by the revelation that her best friend was apparently royalty. Blinking, she tried to absorb this new information, and as she did, Sheriff Keller's words from the previous day drifted into her mind: Kevin took after me, even though there were different plans in store for him.

"Kevin was the prince, and he was supposed to take over and rule one day," she realized aloud.

Queen Seles gave a faint, sad smile. "Yes. Had he not perished at the hands of Stanger, he would have ascended the throne when my time was complete."

"But he's not dead," Betty insisted, surprised by her own conviction. But as she spoke, she grew more certain. "I've talked to Sabrina—"

"As have I," Queen Seles said quietly. "I have spoken with Thomas, as well, and he has told me all that you know and he knows. And I have a theory of what might have occurred, but I fear my own bias might provide false hope."

"I can investigate with my friends if you need me to," Betty said determinedly. "If there's a chance of helping Kevin, I'm going to take it."

Queen Seles studied her. "You are willing to burden yourself for someone you are unable to truly recall," she observed. "You have a great amount of both courage and compassion."

Embarrassed at the frank praise, Betty looked down. "I can't help but think I owe it to him. After all, he may or may not have died trying to save all of us, and now no one really remembers him. And I was his best friend when he was with us." She shrugged uncomfortably. "So now that he seems like he's been reaching out to contact me, I figure the least I can do is listen."

"The contact that occurred at Sweetwater River, in Greendale, correct?" Queen Seles asked.

"I was on the Riverdale side, but Kevin was on the Greendale side," Betty confirmed.

Queen Seles acknowledged her words with a nod, but did not speak for several moments. While Betty attempted to wait in tactful silence, she could feel her patience draining as the seconds ticked by. Just as she was about to prompt Seles, the queen began to speak once again.

"Over the course of the past century, Greendale has become known to the magical community as an oasis of supernatural activity," Seles began. "Its magic is well known to almost all, and Kevin knew of it as well." She paused briefly. "When Stanger seemingly killed Kevin, his magic washed away most knowledge of Kevin from those who him. But I now can't help but suspect Kevin neither living nor dead, but stranded elsewhere due to Stanger's curse. The image you witnessed of Kevin on the river could have appeared due to Greendale's surplus of magic, but also because of a rift in the Realms."

Betty tried to follow as best she could, though not at all familiar with the workings of magic, she found herself floundering a bit. "So, like a breach? One that would allow for Kevin's spirit to appear here in the regular world instead of in the Magic Realm?"

"Not his spirit. Kevin himself," Seles told her. "There is another realm beyond the mortal or magic worlds. It is temperamental, with passages either to or from being notoriously difficult to open each time, and if one does gain entry, even the most experienced witches find their magic dimmed and nearly replete. Thus, very few dare to venture there even when they can, and its territory remains largely unexplored. But a doorway could have been opened during the collision of Kevin and Stanger's magic. Kevin could have found himself caught there after the battle, helpless but for harnessing what he could of Greendale's magic surplus to reach out to you when he sensed you near the river."

Betty wanted to hope, to believe everything could go back to normal, that she could have her best friend with her again, but she couldn't let herself get too excited. "You said it was just a theory. How would we find out if you're right?"

Reaching into the neckline of her blouse, the queen withdrew a silver necklace with a charm in the shape of a robust tree. "This is the Mana Tree, the sacred symbol of the royal family," she explained. "It lends light and protection to whoever is wearing it, be it one of the royal family or someone to whom they gifted it. Each necklace is crafted specifically for a particular member of the royal family. Yet it is always created with a twin so that the individual may extend their protection to another and locate them if there is a need. I gave the other necklace to my beloved as a demonstration of our union, and he wears it as a symbol of loyalty and love for me."

"You and the Sheriff," Betty observed, but a thought was nagging at the back of her mind, one that she just couldn't quite grasp. She'd seen the necklace before, she was sure of it, worn by someone else than the sheriff or the queen, but she couldn't remember who.

Seles smiled. "Yes. We do not have a marriage in accordance to mortal custom, as both of us walk our own path, but we are tied to each other nonetheless. I do love him, and I could never have found a better father to raise my son."

Son. The word seemed to echo in Betty's mind, and then she finally had her answer.

"That's it!" She exclaimed. "The boy who appeared with Kevin in my dream—I saw him wearing a necklace just like that! I knew he looked familiar, and I couldn't figure out why, but now—he and Kevin were probably dating."

"If you can find him, I can use his necklace track Kevin," Seles said. "I will retrieve Thomas. If the two of us work together, we should be able to achieve the power to open and sustain a portal to the other realm." Her face grew troubled. "Though I hesitate to give such an order to one of my citizens, I can request one of my guard to journey into the realm and find Kevin."

"No," Betty said determinedly. "That's my job. My mission. You and the sheriff just focus on opening the portal. I'll be the one to save Kevin."

Seles shook her head. "I cannot ask that of you."

"You didn't ask. I'm volunteering." Betty would not allow herself to budge. Kevin was her friend and had fought for her. Now she would fight for him. "Where would you need to open the portal?"

"The Greendale side of Sweetwater River," Seles replied. "Where the barrier between Realms is weak."

Betty nodded, rising from her seat. "Meet us there a half hour. I think I know where to find the person we need."


	6. Chapter 6

"Let me get this straight," Archie said, as Cheryl sped up as the stoplight they were approaching changed from green to yellow. "Not only is Kevin a witch, but his mom is some hot elf sorceress queen, and Kevin himself is trapped in another world?"

Betty winced and held on for dear life as the Impala screeched around a corner. "Yeah. And someone else has this matching magic necklace that can lead us to Kevin."

Jughead glanced around dubiously as they pulled into the parking lot of Pickens Park. "And you think this someone else is going to be hanging around a playground?"

"It's a hunch," Betty admitted. "But a strong one."

Veronica lightly thwacked Jughead on the arm. "Have some faith, won't you? Betty's hasn't steered us wrong so far."

"I'm just going to check where I think this guy might be," Betty said, opening the door before the car had even fully stopped. "Be back ASAP."

She took off at a full sprint, racing into the park and then past the jungle gyms and swing sets, dodging people walking their dogs and pushing baby strollers. She didn't slow till she reached the other end of the park, where there was a sunny picnic grove and fountain. Nearby, a series of winding stone steps had been installed into the side of the steep hill that lined this part of the park, providing easy access to the sidewalk at the top.

Betty slowed slightly as she approached the stairs, which were surrounded by trees and thus deep in the shade. She thought she could detect a figure sitting on the second landing of the stone steps, but it was very bright where she was and much darker where the figure was, and so she wasn't sure until she drew closer.

But once she did, she was certain. It was the boy from the sheriff's station, the boy who she had seen in her dream here in Pickens Park with Kevin, Jughead, and herself.

As she mounted the stairs, Betty debated on what she would say, how she would explain the situation. They didn't have much time for details; she just needed to convince the guy to come with her as quickly as possible.

Summoning her nerve, she took a seat on the steps beside him.

"Hello," she said brightly.

"Hi," he answered warily, giving her a cautious once-over, obviously wondering why she was talking to him.

"Have noticed something missing from your life?" Betty asked outright.

The guy sent her a scathing look. "Look, sweetheart, if this is an attempt to help me find religion—"

"It's not," Betty interrupted. She pointed at his chest. "But I'm guessing that under your shirt you're wearing a silver necklace that has a tree pendant, even though you don't remember where you got it. But you have this idea that wearing the necklace is important, so you don't want to take it off. I know who gave it to you."

He narrowed his eyes at her, now even more suspicious. "Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah. His name is Kevin Keller. If I'm right, the two of you were dating." Betty extended her hand. "I'm Betty Cooper, his best friend. Nice to meet you."

"Dating?" He looked stunned even as he accepted her hand. "I'm Joaquin DeSantos. Hey."

"I'm going to sound like a lunatic when I say this. But you can't remember who Kevin is because a warlock cursed him and removed most memories of Kevin from everyone who knew him. Kevin's in trouble now, and I need that necklace you're wearing to help him." Betty met Joaquin's gaze readily. "Please, it's very important. And also time-sensitive."

Joaquin studied her. "You do sound like a lunatic," he replied slowly, "but then again, I've thought I was one for the last few weeks. I've noticed some weird stuff in my apartment—signs that I've been dating someone for a while, but I had no idea who. Thought I was going crazy." He rose to his feet. "You said this Kevin guy I was dating is in trouble?"

Betty also stood. "He's in serious danger and needs my help.".

"Then I'm going to help, too," Joaquin said firmly. "You said we can't waste time, so let's not. Tell me what we need to do."

"We need to go to the Greendale side of Sweetwater River," Betty said, beginning to walk back toward the parking lot. "C'mon, you can catch a ride with my friends and I."

Joaquin grinned. "I've got my motorcycle. I'll meet you there."

* * *

By the time the six of them met with Sheriff Keller and Queen Seles on the banks of the river the evening sun was descending behind the autumn treetops, bleeding a glowing trail of orange and gold in its wake. The fading light interwove with the shadows that were lengthening even during their brief walk across the sand.

"And to think I thought you might have been setting me up for a con," Joaquin muttered to Betty as he looked the queen up and down. "Goddamn, would I be down with going to prison for her."

"That's your boyfriend's _mother_ ," Veronica hissed.

"Then I'm praying for a family resemblance," Joaquin returned.

Seles greeted all of them with a gentle smile. "Thank you all for coming." She touched Sheriff Keller's arm lightly. "We deeply appreciate your aid in our time of need."

"No problem," Betty told her.

"Anything to help a friend," Veronica said.

Archie, Jughead, and Cheryl did not respond, too preoccupied with gazing at the queen in awe.

Joaquin managed to shake himself out of his daze, though. "Hey, Sheriff. Hey, your majesty. I heard that Kevin needs rescuing."

Queen Seles granted Joaquin a gentle smile. "You are my son's beloved?"

"I, uh, well, you see—" Joaquin stammered at the forward question, glancing at Betty for help, but it was Sherriff Keller who stepped in to clarify.

"For nearly a year, now," he said, unmistakable fondness in his voice. "Trust me, Les, Kevin made a good choice."

While Joaquin looked surprised by the sheriff's ready endorsement of him, he nonetheless gave a determined nod. "He damn well did, and that's why I'm going to rescue him. Betty said something about travelling to another world?"

Queen Seles nodded. "Thomas and I will open the portal and hold it in place to ensure you can find your way back to us. Once you and Betty enter, you must use the pendant of the Mana Tree to guide you to Kevin. It will not fail you."

"But before we open the the portal, we need to draw a circle," Sheriff Keller informed them. "It's possible the portal won't just allow you to enter the other realm, but allow malicious magic or dangerous creatures from that world to come here. But an unbroken circle will allow for the threat to be contained immediately." He fixed the teenagers with a stern look. "If that happens, it is vitally important none of you cross into or out of the circle. If you do, you'll be disrupting the barrier and setting the threat free. We're trying to keep as many people as possible safe."

"But if Betty and Joaquin are in danger—" Archie began, but Seles interrupted.

"Then Thomas and I will protect them," she said calmly. She turned to Joaquin and Betty. "Time is of the essence. We will summon the portal. Are you prepared?"

"We're ready to kick ass," Joaquin answered. "Right, Betty?"

Doubts whirled in Betty's head, but she pushed them to the back of her mind. She couldn't let uncertainty allow Kevin to remain in danger one second longer.

"Yes," she replied with conviction, turning to the sheriff and the queen. "Open the portal. We're ready."

Sheriff Keller looked at Seles for confirmation, and she gave a regal nod. Together, both of them extended their arms with their palms upright, concentration etched on their features.

Barely a few seconds had passed when a strange humming filled the air, growing louder and louder until it was an outright buzzing, like the peak of the chatter of cicadas on a clear summer night. As the buzzing intensified, a swirling pool of energy grew before them, at first six inches across, then a foot, and then two, expanding until it was a nebula surging with light and color, standing at the height and width of a typical door.

Oddly muted noises emitted from the portal, like words spoken from across a stream of water, carrying the cadences of the voices but rendering the actual conversation indistinguishable. Transfixed, Betty found herself unable to tear her gaze away from the portal until Queen Seles lightly touched her arm.

"You must go. The portal is safe to travel. We will keep it open until you return." Her eyes were narrowed in focus. "But I urge you to make haste."

"Betty, Joaquin, both of you listen to me." Sheriff Keller spoke through gritted teeth; sustaining the portal was clearly taking its toll on him. "If there's any danger, any at all, get yourselves out of there. Don't worry about finding Kevin—you also need to think of yourselves."

"Of course," Betty agreed, though she traded a glance with Joaquin just before they stepped toward the portal.

She saw the same sentiment she felt reflected on Joaquin's face: neither of them were leaving the realm without Kevin in tow.

Side by side, they approached the portal as it crackled with energy. Once they stood directly before it, an unseen force seemed to be tugging them forward, like a vacuum pulling at their skin.

Shoving down the anxiety threatening to overwhelm her, Betty met Joaquin's eyes and nodded, and together, they stepped through the portal into the world beyond.


	7. Chapter 7

A blinding light suddenly surrounded them and wind roared in their ears, spiralling around them, whipping their clothing and bringing their eyes to tear from the sheer force and intensity. But then both faded as abruptly as they appeared, and Betty was left blinking as her eyes struggled to adjust.

She couldn't quite see where they were; she thought they might have been in a forest, as they were encircled by trees as far as she could tell, but the pitch dark of night prevented confirmation. The only source of light beyond the portal was a bright white glow emitting from Joaquin's pendant.

"Jesus H. Christ, it's dark," Joaquin said, glancing around.

"Dark but quiet," Betty noted, faint dread blossoming in her stomach. "Listen for a moment. Do you hear any birds or crickets, or anything at all?"

They both stopped speaking for several seconds, listening, but only the eerie silence answered them. There wasn't a single other sound, not even wind whispering through the trees. Everything was still.

"Right," Joaquin said, a forced determination in his voice. "What now?"

"Queen Seles said the necklace would guide us. Take it off and hold it in front of you," Betty instructed.

Joaquin complied, extending his arm before him and grasping the necklace by its chain. As if pulled by a magnet, the pendant floated up and then tugged forward, urging them further into the inky black forest.

"Guess we're following it," Joaquin said with a shrug, and he and Betty started out into the darkness, leaving the illumination of the portal behind.

For nearly a half they followed the pendant, moving as quickly as they could given the small amount of light, crossing through streams, climbing steep hills, and pushing their way through patches of briars. Throughout their journey, Betty noticed the light of the pendant becoming stronger as they continued on their way.

"We must be getting closer," Joaquin observed.

"I can only hope," Betty replied fervently. The continued silence of the forest made her skin crawl and she wanted to get out of there as soon as they could, but no way was she leaving without Kevin.

Finally, as they reached a tight cluster of trees, the pendant's light grew extraordinarily bright, likely rivalling a spotlight in power. And as they pushed through the narrow spaces between the tree trunks and suddenly found themselves in a clearing, Betty saw why.

A long, wide slab of stone was at the center of the glade, its surface even and low like a table. And on top of the slab was a slim figure lying motionless, a glowing object on its torso.

"Holy fuck," Joaquin breathed at the sight before them, and they both rushed to the table.

It took Betty more than a few seconds to determine that the person actually was Kevin— she'd only had photos and one brief glimpse of him to go off of, and now he looked like he had beaten to a pulp. He was lying on his back, clad in only a pair of dark pants, his feet and chest both bare. His hands were bound together, his arms above his head with a rope lashing them to the table. The light from his pendant illuminated the various marks across his body. Welts, cuts, and bruises covered his torso, and scratches, still bleeding, marred his face. His eyes were closed, and if it hadn't been for the shallow rise and fall of his chest, Betty would have thought he was already dead.

"Kevin?" Betty's pulse pounded in her veins as she gently shook Kevin's shoulder. Who had inflicted the injuries? Were they all in danger from that person right now?

"He looks like hell," Joaquin hissed, but when he brushed back the hair from Kevin's face, the action was nothing but tender and gentle. Moving swiftly, he whipped out a knife and began cutting away Kevin's restraints, and let out a string of curses when he saw the state of Kevin's wrists. "When I catch the fucker who did this to him—"

"Oh?" A new voice inquired silkily. "Just what are you planning to do?"

Betty and Joaquin whirled around to find the source of the voice and discovered a stranger standing behind them. It was a man of middle years, tall and thin, wearing a suit. Oddly enough, though he carried no source of light, they could see him quite plainly, and Betty noticed his form was blurred at the edges and flickered in and out as if he were more of a hologram than human.

Joaquin's hands balled into fists. "Motherfucker, I'm going to kick your ass!" He started toward the stranger, ready to charge, but a rasping voice called him back.

"Stop!"

It was Kevin, his voice grating out harshly from his throat. Betty desperately wished she had some water to give him, but as she didn't, she settled for helping him as he slowly pushed himself to sit up on the table.

"You came for me," he murmured, glancing from her to Joaquin. "Do you remember me?"

"Not really," Joaquin admitted, nonetheless looping a supportive arm around his shoulders.

"But we're rescuing you anyway," Betty quickly reassured him as he struggled to stand.

"How heartwarming," the stranger sneered, his figure momentarily dimming before returning to how it had been previously. "But there's no rescue for our fair prince, I'm afraid. He's mine."

Anger surged through Betty as Kevin staggered even with Joaquin's help, his injuries clearly impeding him. "Yeah?" she asked hotly. "Says who?"

The stranger gave her a chilly smile. "Samuel Stanger, at your service."

"Stanger?" Joaquin demanded, thrusting his hand holding the pendant forward. "You're the bastard who put him here!"

While Betty wasn't completely certain of what she was seeing, it seemed like the light from the pendants went right through Stanger.

She gasped. "He's a—"

"A ghost," Kevin finished for her. "I killed him, but there's still a shadow of his past self left. Luckily, it's not as powerful as he was." He turned to Joaquin. "Can I borrow that necklace, if you don't mind? I promise I'll give it back."

With a confused shrug, Joaquin handed the necklace to Kevin just as Stanger seemed to reach a realization.

"No!" He snarled, surging forth to swipe at Kevin, but it was too late: Kevin had already donned the necklace.

The two pendants drew to each other like magnets and then seemed to lock together. Pale blue light began to radiate outward from them, washing over Kevin's body, healing all of his wounds as it passed over his skin. Bruises faded, cuts closed, and scratches disappeared, all replaced by healthy skin. As Betty watched, the light appeared to restore Kevin, reigniting his strength and energy. Vitality seemed to surge through him, and he closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, Betty could see that the green depths gleamed with confidence and resolve.

"Thanks, Joaquin," he said, gently slipping his arm away from him and stepping forward protectively, putting Betty and Joaquin behind him as he stood to face Stanger.

The blue light swirled around Kevin like a cyclone, one under his absolute control. As the energy spiralled around him, subtle white tattoos, not unlike Seles's, glinted on his torso and arms with a silvery sheen. Power seemed to roll off of him in waves, and Betty had the distinct idea that she was seeing this side of Kevin for the very first time.

"This is totally badass," Joaquin said under his breath, obviously impressed, and Betty had to agree.

"Samuel Stanger," Kevin said, a faint otherworldly echo in his voice. "I executed you during the battle for ownership of Riverdale for your centuries of crimes against mortals. You stand before me as a shade established through a stolen soul, returned to being only through your trickery and deception of the innocent. And now, by the power invested in me by the Witches Council, I declare that you shall no longer be ."

With the final three words a deluge of blue light cascaded from Kevin's palms, rushing toward Stanger to wrap itself around him like bindings, and then surrounding him like a cage. The ghost fought furiously, spitting curses all the while, but he was thoroughly captured.

Kevin turned to Betty and Joaquin, his voice urgent. "That won't last long. How did you get here?"

"A portal. Your mom and dad opened it for us," Betty told him quickly. "They're holding it there for us to get back."

"Then we need to move," Kevin said grimly. "Come on."

He tugged them forward, pulling them out of the clearing and into the treeline, picking up the pace until they were at a dead sprint, Stanger's howls of rage the only other sound in the unnaturally still forest.

While Betty had no idea of how to find their way back, Kevin's guidance was swift and certain. The darkness of the forest did not seem to discourage him in the slightest, and despite the urgency of their situation, he remained calm and composed as they hurtled through the night at top speed.

Just as Betty thought she might collapse with exhaustion, she spotted the portal as they crested a hill. It stood at the bottom of the slope, its light a beacon in the dark, and though her lungs were burning and her legs aching, Betty sped up to reach it, Joaquin and Kevin beside her.

But just as the portal was within an arm's reach, Stanger materialized before them, sending them all flying back with an explosion of orange light.

"Think you could escape me?" he taunted. "You're going to stay here with me forever, my prince."

"Just try it, asshole!" Joaquin was obviously ready for a fight, but Kevin stopped him.

"Betty, Joaquin, get back to the Mortal Realm." He sent a blast of blue light Stanger's way, momentarily deterring him. "I'll follow just as soon as I take care of this."

Betty hesitated, unwilling to leave without him. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Go ," he urged them, quickly raising a shield to cover them. "I can handle him."

Joaquin opened his mouth to object, but Betty was already yanking him toward the portal.

"We need to trust that he knows what he's talking about," she told him with much more confidence than she felt. "The best thing we can do is what he tells us." Silently she prayed there was truth to her words.

Pulling Joaquin into the portal with her, she was briefly struck with terror by the sensation of falling through empty space, but then they stumbled to ground on the riverbank, back with their friends. Wind howled around them with the force of a hurricane.

"What happened?" Sheriff Keller asked desperately as he and Seles fought to keep the portal in place.

"Where is Kevin?" Queen Seles's eyes were wide with dismay.

Betty quickly stood, brushing off the dirt from her jeans. "He's following us! Don't worry, he'll be right—"

She cut herself off as Kevin appeared, halfway out of the portal, but then some force on the other side must have dragged him back; Betty could see him losing ground.

"It's Stanger! He's trying to pull Kevin back in!" With a burst of adrenaline, Betty rushed back to the portal and grabbed Kevin's hand, pulling with all her might, but she only found herself being yanked into the portal with him.

"Like hell he will!" Joaquin snarled, leaping up to join her, latching onto her arm. "I am not letting that bastard take Kevin away from me again!"

"Too right," Sheriff Keller agreed, his mouth set in a grim line.

With a great effort from the sheriff, red light flashed from his palms toward the portal, crackling like electricity. From the other side, Betty heard what she thought was Stanger's muted scream.

"What's happening?" Veronica cried from outside the circle.

"We can't get Kevin back!" Betty tried to suppress the panic in her voice, but as she was dragged ever forward, her feet unable to find purchase on the sand of the riverbank, she was unable to stay calm.

It couldn't come to this. She couldn't lose Kevin. He had fought for her, for all of them, and she had fought to save him. She wouldn't let him be snatched away at the last second. It wouldn't happen. It just couldn't.

Just as she was beginning to despair, Veronica vaulted into the circle, grabbing onto Joaquin's arm to hold him in place just like he was attempting to do for Betty.

"Get clear!" Sheriff Keller ordered her. "It's too dangerous for you to be here!"

"No way! I'm not leaving until Kevin is safe!" Veronica declared, even as the three of them lost almost all ground.

To Betty's dismay, all but Kevin's hand, the one she was holding with all her might, slipped back to the other side of the portal. Though the abrupt yank forward sent Veronica tumbling to the ground, even then she refused to let go, and Betty felt a flash of pride for her friend.

" _Ronnie!_ " Cheryl cried. Even with the howling wind, Betty could hear the terror in her voice. "Hold on! I'm coming!"

She dashed up to join them, paying no heed to the circle's barrier, becoming the fourth link on their human chain. Archie and Jughead were seconds behind her as the fifth and sixth.

"Come on, pull!" Betty shouted to the others. "We can do this! We just need to try harder!"

With a herculean effort, Betty dragged Kevin forward one painstaking step at a time, all of her friends helping her gain ground. Kevin emerged further and further from the portal, almost all the way, when again he was dragged back on the other side almost all the way, negating all of their progress.

" _No!_ " Sheriff seethed. "I will _not_ let you have him! _I won't!_ "

The red light streamed from his palms into the portal once again, a heavier and longer burst than the previous one. But it was rapidly overtaken by a different light, this one of silvery-gold, emitting from Queen Seles's hands.

" ** _Enough of this._** " The words were spoken in an inhuman hiss but somehow reverberated around them.

Absolute fury was apparent on the queen's lovely face. The whites of her eyes were gone, instead glowing black, and the green of her eyes burned with an unnatural light. The wind of the portal whipped her hair back from her face, bringing the blue tresses to roll around her with the rippling air. A golden aura surrounded her, radiating outward in flowing waves, shifting with her moments like the inverse of a shadow.

The silvery-gold light overwhelmed the red and within seconds encompassed the portal itself. The luminosity seemed to rail and crash against the portal like a battering ram, sending it bursting apart. Then the silvery-gold light flooded into the air and sky itself, suddenly inundating the darkness around them with brightness equal in power and brilliance to the sun. Betty was thrown back by a gale of wind and had to rush to shield her eyes at the abrupt blaze of light and air. Judging from her friends' sudden exclamations and curses, they had to do the same.

The light dimmed momentarily, and Betty risked cracking open her eyes. For an instant she thought she saw Stanger standing at the edge of the river just a few paces away, the light rendering his image partially transparent. But a fraction of a second later, he was gone, the light splitting him apart into tendrils of fading smoke.

Then light vanished completely, bringing Betty to cover her eyes once more as they struggled to adjust to the night. When she opened them again, there was no trace of magic, just the five of them huddled together on the riverbank with Sheriff Keller and Queen Seles standing guard over them, Kevin wrapped in both their arms.

It was Cheryl, knocked to the ground but still holding tightly to Veronica, who said what they were all thinking: "Holy fuck."

Ignoring the weariness creeping through her body, Betty pushed herself off of the ground and staggered over to Kevin. As she did, memories flowed through her mind of him and herself: playing soccer together when they were in first grade, getting grounded for sneaking out together when they were in middle school, going to the Homecoming Dance together when they were freshmen.

She had her memories back. She had her best friend back. _He was back._

Weak with relief, she joined the group hug of Kevin and his parents, resting her head under his neck, and inhaling the scent of fresh pines trees that had lingered on his skin for as long as she had known him—how could she have forgotten?

"I'm so glad you're safe," she murmured, utterly exhausted.

He laughed softly. "Me, too." He removed his arms from around each of his parents, instead folding them around her in a hug, squeezing as tightly as he could.

With no hesitation, Betty squeezed back.

* * *

 **Note:** Queen Seles is a character from the Sabrina manga comics. Stanger is a villain from the Jughead reboot, though he was just a regular guy there and didn't use magic.


	8. Chapter 8

With all of them exhausted and reeling from the events of that night, they regrouped back at the Keller home for food and relaxation. The one stipulation from Sheriff Keller was that they all call their parents and let them know where they were.

With a flick of her hand, Seles summoned a virtual feast to appear on the table, and, at Jughead's suggestion, added a platter of burgers and a tray of milkshakes. After inviting the group to help themselves to the reshments, the two adults retired to the front parlor, leaving the teenagers to themselves in the family room.

"So why did you never tell any of us you were a witch?" Archie asked when they had all settled down with their food and drink. "I mean, we all know that Sabrina has magic."

Kevin took a moment to sip from his glass of water. He'd showered and changed into a pair of sweats and a long-sleeve T-shirt, and now he was stretched out on the couch, using the arm as a pillow with his torso across Joaquin's lap.

Betty felt a surge of affection for both of them as she saw how domestic and comfortable they looked together, and snuggled closer to Jughead on the loveseat they were sharing. In response, Jughead put down one of his burgers to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"I guess because I don't really think about it that often," Kevin said finally, a slight frown on his features. "I mean, it's such a natural part of me that I rarely even stop to think that it makes me different. When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time in the Magic Realm with other witches, so it hasn't really ever seemed all that remarkable. And also . . ." he gave a guilty shrug. "Given that I'm part of the royal family, I was a little bit worried about any of you getting caught up with my enemies and other people who hold grudges."

Joaquin scoffed, but ran his hand through Kevin's hair, which was now fluffing out gently as it dried. "And to think I was worried about someone from the Ghoulies targeting you. Didn't know you could just kick their ass with magic."

"Well, now you don't have to worry anymore," Kevin said, leaning up to give Joaquin a kiss.

"Spare me your Hallmark sentiments, or else I'm going to get diabetes," Cheryl declared haughtily from where she was all but intertwined with Veronica on a squashy armchair. "And public affection is so déclassé."

"Oh, Cheryl, hush," Veronica said, but her tone was fond, and Betty noticed her squeeze Cheryl's hand.

She sent the two of them a soft smile; she wouldn't have thought they would be interested in each other, but she wished them well all the same. At the very least, Veronica's tactfulness could complement Cheryl's rather . . . forthright manner.

"Speaking of public, is everything back to normal now?" Jughead asked. "I mean, we have our memories of you back, but y'know, we can remember when we couldn't remember you. What about everyone else?"

"I don't think anyone else would have really noticed," Kevin admitted. "I mean, if I hadn't been able to reach Betty that night she was by the river, I don't know if anyone would have been able to help me." He gave Betty a warm look. "Thank you so much for all you did, by the way. You saved my life."

"And me," Joaquin pointed out.

Kevin gave him another kiss. "You sure did. You're my knight in a black leather jacket."

Someone cleared their throat from the doorway, and they all looked up to find Sheriff Keller and Seles standing there.

"All of you have performed a great service to the Witches Council and the royal family," Seles said graciously as she walked into the room. "Not only did you save the prince of the Magic Realm, but your actions brought about the destruction of a powerful warlock who was an enemy to both witches and mortals alike. And as Queen of the Magic Realm, I shall not forget your service."

With a swish of one hand, she sent a series of small, gleaming items gently gliding through the air toward each one of them, and Betty outstretched her hand to catch the one moving in her direction. Opening her palm, she found a golden recreation of a tree leaf, with veins and other details etched into the metal, intricately crafted to appear breathtakingly lifelike.

"You have done me a great kindness, one that I vow to return," Seles said solemnly. "If there is ever a time you are in dire need, simply use the Mana leaf to and ask me for aid." She gave them a kind smile. "I promise that I will help you in whatever way I can."

"Cool," Jughead breathed, turning over the leaf in his hand to examine every aspect of it.

Cheryl sniffed. "I would have preferred silver. It's a better color on me."

"I must leave now," Seles told them. "But I will never forget all that you have done for my land and family."

She exited then, turning down the hall with the sheriff at her side.

"You're not going to go with her to say goodbye?" Betty asked, surprised. While Kevin had rarely mentioned his mother, she could see that he and Seles cared for each other.

Kevin grinned. "She'll be back for dinner in a few days. She wants to sit down and meet 'my beloved.' " He jokingly nudged at Joaquin with his elbow.

"Laugh it up, preppie. We'll see who's smiling when your mom starts asking about if we're getting hitched or not," Joaquin retorted, but a gentle caress to Kevin's face belied any harshness of his words.

Jughead checked his watch. "Speaking of leaving, I've got to get back home." He grimaced. "My dad just put me on a stricter curfew."

Archie sighed. "I should get going, too. I have another English paper to write."

"Bring whatever you have to me early tomorrow morning. I can check it before classes begin," Kevin offered.

Archie brightened. "You'd do that? Thanks!"

Cheryl rose from her chair, looking vastly put-upon. "I suppose you're going to need my car," she said, her tone martyred even though no one had asked her for a ride. "I'll drive you, but remember that one of these days, I'm going to call in a favor in return from you."

Archie and Jughead looked at each other and just shrugged.

"Can I come along?" Veronica asked.

Cheryl flipped her hair back, taking Veronica's hand and pulling her into the hall. "Of course."

"You coming, too?" Jughead asked, turning to Betty.

Betty shook her head and looked at Kevin. "Actually, if it's okay, I think I'm going to spend the night."

Kevin smiled at her. "It's more than okay."

Joaquin stood as well. "I should be getting back home, too." He grinned at Kevin. "Got to check my wardrobe to make sure I have an outfit suitable for dining with royalty."

Kevin rose to let Joaquin up and walk with their friends to the door, and Veronica hung back for a moment to talk to Betty.

Betty raised her eyebrows. "So, you and Cheryl?"

Veronica grinned and gave a happy shrug. "I was surprised, too! But I guess when she saw me on the river trying to fight back against Stanger, she realized what she felt and decided to give us a try. She came right out and said she wanted to be with me, and her openly admitting that is enough to convince me she's as serious about this as she ever is about anything."

Betty wrapped her friend in an enthusiastic hug. "I'm so happy for you, Ron! I hope things work out for you two."

Veronica laughed softly. "Hope springs eternal, doesn't it? But I think I might be able to weather Cheryl's storms." Drawing back, she looked Betty straight in the eye. "You were amazing tonight, Betty. You should be proud of yourself."

The compliment made Betty blush. "I was just being a friend."

"Well, you did an incredible job," Veronica told her as they walked to the door. "Seriously, hats off to you."

After saying goodbye to their friends, with Joaquin zooming away on his motorcycle and the others going off in Cheryl's Impala once she commanded Jughead vacate the passenger seat for Veronica, Kevin and Betty returned inside.

"Does it bother you?" Kevin asked her, undercurrents of distress in his voice. "That I didn't tell you I could use magic or who my parents are?"

"Aw. Kev, of course not." Betty gave him a friendly jostle on the shoulder. "Everyone keeps secrets. If you need to keep some things under wraps, that's perfectly okay."

Kevin gave her a relieved smile. "Thanks. With everyone in the Magic Realm knowing I'm the prince, it's just nice to be around people who think I'm normal. Without having all the pressure."

"Yeah, I know pressure," Betty remarked sourly, her mind quickly flashing to her parents and all of their expectations. She didn't mean for the words to be laced with such resentment and was taken aback by her own bitterness.

"Hey." Kevin gently touched her arm. "None of that. You were fantastic today. I can't thank you enough for rescuing me. My parents told me everything that you did once you figured out something was wrong. You're one of the bravest and most tenacious people I know."

"You'll give me too much of an ego if you keep praising me like that," Betty teased. But she leaned against Kevin for a hug, taking comfort in his lean, solid form. "I'm so glad to have you back. Everything was so strange and wrong without you here."

Kevin held her tightly. "I'm glad to be back. I was desperate to get back to all of you and my parents."

"We should celebrate," Betty suggested. "Something to commemorate your triumphant return."

"Something to mark your glorious victory and courage," Kevin agreed. "You know, my mom keeps some Elven wine here, and my dad trusts me too much to lock to liquor cabinet. Want to try some?"

Betty linked arms with him. "After tonight, Kev, I think I really need a glass of wine."

Kevin laughed and led the way into the kitchen. "After tonight, you've earned one."

Relaxing with her head resting on Kevin's shoulder, Betty sighed happily. She had fought and won. She'd taken her best friend back. Now, they were back where they belonged: together, side by side.


End file.
